If OCPN is starting after a crash, and the “Safe Mode” prompt pops up, selecting “YES” only disables plugin loading and that is all it does.

The “safe mode” logic was designed and implemented to protect against rogue plugins only, and that is all it is meant to do. No other run-time configurations should be affected by the choice of “yes” to the dialog.

Beware RPI 4: Answering “yes” rewrote the config file removing all chart locations.(currently, will be fixed in next release)

See the PR for Save Mode

  Add a new command line option --safe_mode.  (This CLI will also turn off OpenGL.)
  Check if last opencpn run failed and offer user to run in safe mode if so.
  In safe mode, disable plugin loading and OpenGL.

There are ideas to also block Connections in safe mode. This is not implemented.

This can save work!

On a regular basis, when O is going smoothly:

1. Close it gracefully
2. Open the opencpn dir
3. Copy the opencpn.conf (or .ini /OS depending) and save it in a “Backup” dir.
4. This is to be repeated after updates, new version or any impacting change…

One example, when the “safe mode” has hit you :

1. Restart OpenCPN even in safe mode, then quit normally,
2. Copy the opencpn.conf/ini from your Backup dir,
3. Paste it in the opencpn dir, confirm overwrite…

O will rebuild database on next start, et voilà ! (not an ideal solution, but it works !)